Jeff Ling

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“All things must come to their perfection by degrees. The strongest man must first be a child. The greatest scholar must first begin with the alphabet. The tallest oak was once an acorn. This life is our infancy. Would we be perfect in the womb, or born at full stature? If our rest was here, most of God’s Providences would be useless… if we were happy, innocent, and perfect, what use was there for the glorious work of our sanctification, justification, and future salvation? If we lacked nothing, we would not depend on God so closely, nor call upon him so earnestly.
—Richard Baxter “Saints’ Everlasting Rest”

Thanks to the “A Puritan at Heart” blog for this gem.

If God spares us as a father does his son, let us imitate God. It is natural for children to imitate their parents; what the father does, the child is apt to learn the same. Let us imitate God in this one thing: As God spares us, and passes by many failures, so let us be sparing in our censures of others; let us look upon the weaknesses and indiscretions of our brethren with a more tender, compassionate eye.
Indeed, in cases of scandal we ought not to bear with others, but sharply reprove them. But if through inadvertentcy or passion they act wrongly, let us pity and pray for them. How much God bears with us! He spares us and shall not we be sparing to others? Perhaps they may be wronged, and false things may be said to their charge. Athanasius was falsely accused by the Arians of adultery, Basil of heresy. It is usual for the world to misrepresent the people of God; therefore let us be sparing in our censures. God spares us, and shall we not be sparing towards others?
—Thomas Watson “The Great Gain of Godliness”

Take heed to yourselves, lest you live in those sins which you preach against in others, and lest you be guilty of that which daily you condemn. (Ro 2:1) Will you make it your work to magnify God, and, when you have done, dishonor him as much as others? Will you proclaim Christ’s governing power, and yet condemn it, and rebel yourselves? Will you preach his laws, and willfully break them? If sin be evil, why do you live in it? If it be not, why do you dissuade men from it? If it be dangerous, how dare you venture on it? If it be not, why do you tell men so? If God’s threatenings be true, why do you not fear them? If they be false, why do you needlessly trouble men with them, and put them into such frights without a cause? Do you “know the judgment of God, that they who commit such things are worthy of death;” and yet will you do them? “Thou that teachest another, teachest thou not thyself?  Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, or be drunk, or covetous, art thou such thyself?  Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?” (Ro 1:32; Ro 2:17; Ro 2:21, Ro 2:22, Ro 2:23, Ro 2:24) What! shall the same tongue speak evil that speakest against evil? Shall those lips censure, and slander, and backbite your neighbor, that cry down these and the like things in others? Take heed to yourselves, lest you cry down sin, and yet do not overcome it; lest, while you seek to bring it down in others, you bow to it, and become its slaves yourselves: “For of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought into bondage.” “To whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey, whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness.” O brethren! it is easier to chide at sin, than to overcome it. (2Pe 2:19; Ro 6:19)
- Richard Baxter,The Reformed Pastor

“There are many disorderly and irregular things in the world, and we wonder if God’s providence is in them. God makes use of even irregular things for His own glory. The silversmith makes use of every tool in his shop to master his craft, no matter how strange those tools might appear to a visitor. Thus it is with the providences of God: they seem to us to be very crooked and strange, yet they all carry on God’s work. “ – Thomas Watson

As I’ve been meditating on Romans 8, the word “groan” has captured my attention. It’s such an expressive word. It’s one of those that sound like what it means. Three things/people groan in Romans 8: the earth, the redeemed and the Spirit.

“For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. (Romans 8:22-23 ESV)

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.

(Romans 8:26 ESV)

I have always seen these in a positive light. I’m grateful that there is a groaning for redemption in my heart and that the Spirit Himself groans in intercession on the part of believers. As for the earth, having labored under sin’s curse, there is a deep groan to be released from it’s “bondage to corruption.” This enriches my heart! I long for the day when I can see the earth as God intended for it to be.

All well and good. Then, along comes a quote from Joseph Alleine posted today on the Defending. Contending. blog:

If inanimate creatures could but speak, your food would say, “Lord, must I nourish such a wretch as this, and yield forth my strength for him, to dishonor Thee? No, I will choke him rather, if Thou wilt give commission.” The very air would say, “Lord, must I give this man breath, to set his tongue against heaven, and scorn Thy people. . . . No, if Thou wilt but say the word, he shall be breathless for me.” His poor beast would say, “Lord, must I carry him upon his wicked designs? No, I will break his bones, I will end his days rather, if I may have but leave from Thee.” A wicked man; the earth groans under him, and hell groans for him, till death satisfies both.

- Joseph Alleine 1634 – 1668

Boy has a way with words doesn’t he? That hell longs for sinners like heaven longs for saints is a given. As for the creation groaning not only for redemption but against man – that is something that had not occurred to me. When you look at the gulf coast and see the oil billowing out from the sea bed…. you can almost hear it.

O my Saviour, help me.
I am so slow to learn
so prone to forget,
so weak to climb;
I am in the foothills when I should be on the heights;

I am pained by my graceless heart,
my prayerless days,
my poverty of love,
my sloth in the heavenly race,
my sullied conscience,
my wasted hours,
my unspent opportunities.

I am blind while light shines around me:
take the scales from my eyes,
grind to dust the evil heart of unbelief.

Make it my chiefest joy to study thee,
meditate on thee,
gaze on thee,
sit like Mary at thy feet,
lean like John on thy breast,
appeal like Peter to thy love,
count like Paul all things dung.

Give me increase and progress in grace so that there may be
more decision in my character,
more vigour in my purposes,
more elevation in my life,
more fervour in my devotion,
more constancy in my zeal.

As I have a position in the world,
keep me from making the world my position;
May I never seek in the creature
what can be found only in the creator;
Let not faith cease from seeking thee
until it vanishes into sight.
Ride forth in me, thou king of kings
and lord of lords,
that I may live victoriously,
and in victory attain my end.

– A prayer from The Valley of Vision